This is a blog about the people, processes, and thoughts about technology previews from Autodesk.

May 20, 2016

Experiment: A Real Decant-do Attitude

For years, I believed that only very old, full-bodied wines needed to be decanted. Recently, a friend, Peggy McDermott, let me know that it never hurts to decant any red wine. Sure enough, I googled how long to decant wines and found these decanting durations on WineFolly.com:

Zinfandel: 30 minutes

Pinot Noir: 30 minutes

Malbec: 1 hour

Grenache/Garnacha Blend: 1 hour

Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot: 2 hours

Petite Sirah: 2 hours

Tempranillo: 2 hours

Sangiovese: 2 hours

Vintage Port & Madeira: 2 hours

Mourvèdre/Monastrell 2–3 hours

Dão and Douro Reds: 2–3 hours

Syrah/Shiraz: 2–3 hours

Nebbiolo 3+ hours

So for my 57th birthday, I decided to get myself a decanter. Since I am an Amazon Prime member, I got a Riedel Decanters Black Tie delivered with free shipping. It arrived a few days early, but I decided to wait until my real birthday before using it. I also decided to conduct a test to see if decanting really makes a difference.

I had never used a decanter before. Even though the decanter is kind of shaped like an oil can, you add the wine and serve the wine from the large opening at the top. The opening at the narrow tip is only for air circulation. The decanter does not come with serving instructions. :-)

I poured half of the bottle in the decanter and left the remaining half in the bottle with a stopper in place.

After decanting, I let the wine sit for 30 minutes. I then had my wife, Sheryl, pour me two glasses but not tell me which was which. I tasted both.

When I taste wine, I pay attention to that initial taste, how it feels in my mouth, and how it finishes. When tasting both glasses, they were identical to me except for the finish. One had a less biting finish, seeming more fruit forward. I suggested to Sheryl that the more fruity-finish one was the decanted one. I was correct.

From this sample size of one, so far I can surmise that decanting does make a difference. Whether that is good or bad is a matter of taste.

Comments

Experiment: A Real Decant-do Attitude

For years, I believed that only very old, full-bodied wines needed to be decanted. Recently, a friend, Peggy McDermott, let me know that it never hurts to decant any red wine. Sure enough, I googled how long to decant wines and found these decanting durations on WineFolly.com:

Zinfandel: 30 minutes

Pinot Noir: 30 minutes

Malbec: 1 hour

Grenache/Garnacha Blend: 1 hour

Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot: 2 hours

Petite Sirah: 2 hours

Tempranillo: 2 hours

Sangiovese: 2 hours

Vintage Port & Madeira: 2 hours

Mourvèdre/Monastrell 2–3 hours

Dão and Douro Reds: 2–3 hours

Syrah/Shiraz: 2–3 hours

Nebbiolo 3+ hours

So for my 57th birthday, I decided to get myself a decanter. Since I am an Amazon Prime member, I got a Riedel Decanters Black Tie delivered with free shipping. It arrived a few days early, but I decided to wait until my real birthday before using it. I also decided to conduct a test to see if decanting really makes a difference.

I had never used a decanter before. Even though the decanter is kind of shaped like an oil can, you add the wine and serve the wine from the large opening at the top. The opening at the narrow tip is only for air circulation. The decanter does not come with serving instructions. :-)

I poured half of the bottle in the decanter and left the remaining half in the bottle with a stopper in place.

After decanting, I let the wine sit for 30 minutes. I then had my wife, Sheryl, pour me two glasses but not tell me which was which. I tasted both.

When I taste wine, I pay attention to that initial taste, how it feels in my mouth, and how it finishes. When tasting both glasses, they were identical to me except for the finish. One had a less biting finish, seeming more fruit forward. I suggested to Sheryl that the more fruity-finish one was the decanted one. I was correct.

From this sample size of one, so far I can surmise that decanting does make a difference. Whether that is good or bad is a matter of taste.